A nice surprise from Shauna over at Trying to Stay Calm blog......
she was giving away blog awards....Thanks, Shauna!

And now....
I pass this on to a foster mom over at Pop Quiz Giver......
The award reads "for blogs that inspire hope, love and joy in daily life"
My sister in Christ whom I will call foster mom as she and her hubby just accepted a baby into their home as a foster baby, shows love and joy in her recent posts about this baby and her feelings regarding him. It also shows hope.....hope for his future and his biological parents' future.......head on over and check it out! (my husband and I know this couple from our former church)


How is your weekend going so far?

Mine is not bad.....getting much done. It is bitter cold here though (31 degrees with a very cold wind)
Last nite (Friday) was my youngest daughter's (Claire) 10th birthday party. She actually turns 10 in one month but because of many duties that she and I have for the month of December, I told her she had to have her sleepover party a month early. She invited 2 good friends (Samahria, Allison) from school and had a fun evening. We played 2 games with prizes, made a craft (decorative mirrors or photo frames...they got to choose), had pizza, did "make your own sundaes" (Claire doesn't really do cake), and then she opened gifts and they watched a couple of movies. A fun nite for all. AND they were all sleeping by 1 a.m.!

And today we made chocolate chip pancakes, hot cocoa and clementines for breakfast. (Dave and I just had English muffins..we don't do choc. pancakes!!). After the parents picked up the girls, I worked on the rest of the gift I am creating for my good friend of 34 years. Ann is turning 50 in a couple of weeks and I am sending her a box full of 50 items...more on that later. She lives in Michigan and we both became born again Christians through our hometown church (a Free Methodist church over in Central NYS). We have been friends since I was 12 and she was 13. I plan on taking some pics of what I packed for her. It's been lots of fun.
Then Courtney, my oldest, and I went shopping for a new jacket but we only ended up with a new scarf. Which is ok. She decided last year's jacket is still good enough for the really cold, wet days that lie ahead.

My husband just took her off to her small group at the Youth Center where she will stay until about 9 pm...after her small group meeting she has a large group meeting (Emerge) with the entire senior high youth group.
Dave, Claire and I are eating Chinese food tonite, as Claire just discovered this autumn that she loves it! So...Dave is treating us! Then we are settling in with good books and perhaps a game of Clue........then everyone is going to bed early tonite....we have a full day tomorrow!
Church at 11, a 3 hour dance rehearsal (Claire), student leadership meeting and service project (Courtney), and then the 4 of us are heading up to our new satellite church, Grace North, for the open house. We are so excited to see what the Lord is doing in the community to the north of us! And some friends of ours from our former church in Troy, are planning on joining the Grace North church! Small world.......Glory to God!

What about you? What have you been doing this weekend?